Cronje to captain Kings

Kings fly-half Lionel Cronje will captain the side in the absence of Schalk Ferreira for their match against the Lions in Port Elizabeth.

He lines up alongside Louis Schreuder in the half-backs, with head coach Deon Davids announcing the appointment at a press conference.

"I've chosen Lionel for this game as captain. As I said to him and the rest of the team, I'll do some stock taking after this game," he said.

"Lionel has been around a long time and he understands what is expected of him in Super Rugby. He has been a central part of our leadership group until now.

"From a performance point of view, he has also played some good rugby. It’s a good opportunity for him. It is a natural thing, as vice-captain, to take this position." 

The Kings have made three changes to their side as Schalk van der Merwe comes in at loosehead prop, Malcolm Jaer will play at full-back while Kurt Haupt gets a start at hooker.

Kings: 15 Malcolm Jaer, 14 Makazole Mapimpi, 13 Berton Klaasen, 12 Waylon Murray, 11 Alshaun Bock, 10 Lionel Cronje (c), 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Ruaan Lerm, 7 Andisa Ntsila, 6 Chris Cloete, 5 Wilhelm van der Sluys, 4 Irne Herbst, 3 Ross Geldenhuys, 2 Kurt Haupt, 1 Schalk van der Merwe
Replacements: 16 Michael Willemse, 17 Chris Heiberg, 18 Justin Forwood, 19 Tyler Paul, 20 Stefan Willemse, 21 Johan Steyn, 22 Pieter-Steyn de Wet, 23 Luzuko Vulindlu

Date: Saturday, March 25
Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Kick-off: 15:15 local (13:05 GMT)
Referee: Quinton Immelman (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: Rasta Rasivhenge (South Africa), Egon Seconds (South Africa)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)